A Moray Highland League football club will hold crunch talks tomorrow to discuss its future as it grapples with an unpaid tax bill amounting to tens of thousands of pounds.
Rothes FC director of football and vice-chairman, Rab Mulheron, insisted the crisis was an opportunity to “look forward, not back” and said he was confident the current difficulties could be overcome.
It follows the revelation earlier this month that the Speysiders had been served with a winding-up order after years of financial mismanagement left a tax debt thought to be as high as £30,000.
Last night Mr Mulheron urged anyone with an interest in breathing new life into the club to attend the public meeting, being held in Rothes FC Social Club at 7.30pm.
He said: “I’m expecting people are going to ask how we got into this position, how much money is owed and how we plan to get out of it again.
“The people involved will just need to answer that and just be honest and get it all out.
“We have got a new team, a new sponsor, a new strip, so lets have a new beginning.
“What has happened has happened. Let’s look forward, not back.
“If we pull together and work hard, it can be fixed. I’m quite confident of that.”
Rothes kicked off the season on Saturday with a 3-2 home win over Fort William in the first round of The North of Scotland Cup.
Saturday’s victory — the first under the reign of co-managers, Paul Lamberton and Willie Duncan — came after an active close season which has resulted in a host of new signings, including six players on loan from Buckie, Deveronvale, Huntly and Turriff United, arrive at Mackessack Park.
Mr Mulheron added: “I was very impressed yesterday and delighted for Paul and Willie. We have worked hard behind the scenes to get players in and we got the rewards.
“This might actually end up being the best thing that’s happened to the club. The support we have had from around the Highland League to myself, to Robert Thomson, and to the club has been unbelievable.
“It’s not a league, it’s a family. We might be enemies on the pitch when we play, but once the game is over, we are friends and nobody wants to see any club go under.”